A Safe Space for Skid Row Drunks opens up (Los Angeles: crimes, tax)

[jm1982]

These definitively aren't people just enjoying a beer obviously the violent troublemaker types
Funny there is such a rush to decriminalize criminal behavior .

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"County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who appeared at the press conference announcing the opening of the center, said it will help intoxicated people on Skid Row without criminalizing them"

Skid Row Sobering Center to Open Next Month | News | ladowntownnews.com

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by jm1982

These definitively aren't people just enjoying a beer obviously the violent troublemaker types
Funny there is such a rush to decriminalize criminal behavior .

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"County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who appeared at the press conference announcing the opening of the center, said it will help intoxicated people on Skid Row without criminalizing them"

Skid Row Sobering Center to Open Next Month | News | ladowntownnews.com

Did you read the article? They are treated for addiction or will be.

"The sobering center will offer immediate treatment. The goal, he said, is to help patients get sober, restart their lives and eventually find transitional housing."

Why are the decriminalizing them? Because criminalizing them didn't work? People get out of jail, can't get employed, and then they contribute to the legion of HOMELESS than LA and Southern California have. It's no coincidence that California legalized marijuana, because quite frankly the war on drugs failed horrible.

It's cheaper to help addicts deal with their issues (addiction and other mental health issues) than it is to incarcerate them.

And the US is a disgrace. China (a totalitarian regime) has many more people than the US, yet the US has more people locked up in jail than any other country. American politicians (and those in other countries) are finally acknowledging the war on drugs failed and doesn't work.

Just like making alcohol illegal was a disaster, as all it did was send alcohol production to criminal syndicates. When the government legalized alcohol they got the criminals out of the alcohol business, and regulated it and taxed it. Now the same is happening with marijuana.

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by NyWriterdude

Did you read the article? They are treated for addiction or will be.
.

Of course, he didn't. Glancing at headlines and jumping to pre-determined conclusions are acceptable "analysis" for some.

As noted in the article, "Los Angeles Fire Department Medical Director Dr. Marc Eckstein said that Fire Station 9 in Skid Row transports an average of 25 inebriated people a day to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center, where they require services that pull staff away from other individuals needing emergency care. The sobering center will offer immediate treatment. The goal, he said, is to help patients get sober, restart their lives and eventually find transitional housing."

Having firefighters and paramedics respond to these calls is expensive and not a wise use of taxpayer money.

[theraven24]

Goodness gracious, how about reading the article before creating a thread with a misleading headline? No one's "decriminalizing" anyone. Do you even know what rehab is?

This is so ridiculous.

[ryanms3030]

The majority of mentally ill homeless alcholics aren't looking for a fresh start to turn their lives around. I also understand the strain on resources but people that are getting sent to the hospital are probably having medical emergencies. You can die from too much alcohol, you can die from not enough alcohol if you're dependent and most of these people are in terrible health from years of poor health, nutrition and abuse of their bodies.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by ryanms3030

The majority of mentally ill homeless alcholics aren't looking for a fresh start to turn their lives around. I also understand the strain on resources but people that are getting sent to the hospital are probably having medical emergencies. You can die from too much alcohol, you can die from not enough alcohol if you're dependent and most of these people are in terrible health from years of poor health, nutrition and abuse of their bodies.

Yes I did read the article .

That's the thing they aren't looking for a fresh start . We will see what happens but it seems they will be there for hours and then just realized back onto the streets causing problems and harrassing people and being a menace to society .

If they are committing crimes should they not be jailed just because they are homeless ?
If a non homeless person did the same type of things they'd get sent to jail .
It's a double standard really .

[jm1982]

What if they don't want to go to the sobering center ? Can they just be taken there against their will ? I could see ACLU jumping on this .

I hope you guys are right and that it reduces the number of homeless drunks that constantly harass people and cause problems .

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by LA Guru

So what's your proposal? Lock them in jail and put the bill on the taxpayers for $71,000 per inmate per year?

We could start by deporting the ones here illegally .

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by LA Guru

So what's your proposal? Lock them in jail and put the bill on the taxpayers for $71,000 per inmate per year?

let natural selection run it's course

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by LA Guru

Unfortunately most people don't die that quickly from alcoholism.

it doesn't have to be quick but we don't have to keep spending millions of tax dollars enabling them